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Here we go for all of you painters! These brick tree-rings were made to go inside the house of my client. I used acrylic paints and a brush on Interior Satin Varnish. The tree rings used to be sold in one unit of 6 or 7 humps. Now they are smaller, in groups of 3 humps and I love them even more! They are easier to carry, easier to ship and easier to paint. I am hoping I can get one in a large priority box. Think about painting villages at Christmas, beach cottages, Hawaiian tiki huts, log cabins, basically any kind of home. I've even made bird house rows out of these. ![]() ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
step one Start off by washing the surface of the bricks and allowing them to dry. Knock off any loose edges with a screw driver. Don't worry about flaws...they don't show once you add paint. Allow to dry. In this photo, I show how they can be a 3-hump or joined to make 6-humps. You can make a large circle out of these. ![]() To paint, I placed them in three lines, easier to paint according to the steps. ![]() step two Take a piece of graph of other paper and mold around the hump so you'll have a rough pattern of the house. Cut this shape out. ![]() step three Use a white water color pencil to create the lines between the houses. ![]() step four Use your graph paper to figure out the doors and window you want, and then cut out the shapes in construction paper. I fold the paper in half to make a "perfect shape". ![]() step five If you think this is something you'd like to make as gifts or for sale, I suggest making a permanent pattern that won't fray. I use the slats from old vertical blinds for patterns on a lot of my painting projects. ![]() step six Take your construction paper pattern and transfer it to the plastic and cut out your new pattern. Fit to your house and trim if it's too large. ![]() ![]() step seven Paint your houses! make sure you paint the sides and tops. The colors I painted are apple red, a mustard yellow and a Wedgwood blue. The blue in these photos looks fun but it's not the color I used. Blue is a funky color to capture in a photograph sometimes. (note*** if you are joining them together, play around with how you want the colors to line up.) ![]() step eight Once the house paint is dry, trace your doors and windows on with the white pencil. and paint them. I always paint the windows black and the doors vary in browns and tans unless I'm doing beach cottages. ![]() step nine Paint in the basic tree shapes or vine shapes. Also, you can shade the edges of the doors for more depth and interest. Use a watered down black for the darker doors and a brown for the tan doors. (note***Do you see how the front brick has plain doors but the back one has shading?) ![]() step ten Paint the trim around the doors and windows white. (note***for beach cottages, paint the trim fun colors!) ![]() step eleven NOW the fun really begins because you get to create a beautiful garden in front of each house! For this it's fun to just play and be creative. If you don't like it, repaint that part! I use old brushes and do a lot of dabbing for flowers, double dipping in white and whatever color I want. ![]() step twelve Varnish your houses when the paint has set, at least two hours. If your houses will be outdoors, like this one I painted for a friend, ( The thread "Painted Bricks, Tree-rings and Cement" in Garden Art forum ) seal at least 2 times with Krylon Spray Paint or Wet Seal by Behr. ![]() Here are a few more photos of the finished houses. ![]() ![]() ![]() These were painted for a client who ordered two 3-humps and for a donation for a raffle. The one for the client has sunflowers which are her favorite. Plus I "carved" initials in the tree N + B and added a hummingbird, also her favorite. ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
Debbie Aug 16, 2011 4:59 AM CST |
Oh my Becky. I am just amazed at your painting skills. These are fabulous. I painted some yesterday and got very sort of frustrated. What I see in my mind, doesn't come out of my brush. ![]() |
Ridesredmule Aug 16, 2011 6:59 AM CST |
Very pretty. Love them... |
Bubbles Aug 16, 2011 8:18 AM CST |
These are sooooo cute! I just love opening the Garden Art forum each day. I'm finding all kinds of projects I can't live without! Thanks for sharing your talent Becky! |
Robynznest Aug 16, 2011 8:59 AM CST |
Thank you so much, these are terrific and a great tute. ![]() Save the planet, it's the only one with chocolate. |
Thanks friends! Debbie, just take your time. Smaller brushes work best for detailing. Ask if you have questions! ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
Becky, you make it look so easy ![]() NATIONAL GARDENING ASSOCIATION ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ Heart Strength ~ |
Vic, it is for me and if you were sitting next to me, I could teach you all of this! ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
Sheila_FW Aug 16, 2011 3:00 PM CST |
You are good Becky!! I might manage a caterpillar but not even trying this! LOL! ![]() |
JuneBug Aug 16, 2011 7:53 PM CST |
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If we all painted, no one would appreciate one anothers own special gifts. ![]() ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
rcn48 Aug 17, 2011 1:50 AM CST |
Debbie said:Oh my Becky. I am just amazed at your painting skills. These are fabulous. I painted some yesterday and got very sort of frustrated. What I see in my mind, doesn't come out of my brush. ![]() Debbie, I feel the same way, my "visions" never look as good as they do in my head! ![]() |
Thanks Debbie! ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
rcn48 Aug 17, 2011 1:57 AM CST |
You're welcome! ![]() ![]() |
You'll do great, Debbie! Be sure to post a new thread ... I love mailboxes. ![]() ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
I had a bunch of ladies over to make these bricks a few years back. Only one was an artist, the others just liked to craft. Everyone of their houses turned out so cute!!! So by following these easy instructions, YOU too can have a village! ![]() ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
JuneBug Aug 17, 2011 6:55 PM CST |
I always say that "I am real crafty with a checkbook" when folks would see all of the handcrafted artwork at my house ![]() ![]() |
Samigal Dec 11, 2011 2:00 PM CST |
I have no idea why it took me so long to discover this "T" thread. I just printed out all the instructions (going to run out of colored ink soon) so I can practice in 2012. I'm not talented in the painting department, but Becky's instructions I think I have a good chance of creating something special. ![]() |
![]() ![]() ALL THINGS PLANTS ~ Garden Art ~ Purslane & Portulaca ~ MY CUBITS ~ Trust in the Lord ~ MY WEB SITE ~ Joyful Times Today |
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